Peanut butter package



J. ROSEFIELD 2,141,725

PEANUT BUTTER PACKAGE Filed Sept. 25, 1955 Dec. 27, 1938.

Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNI D STATES PATENT OFF-ICE i PEANUT Burma PACKAGE Joseph L Bosefleld, Alameda, Calif.

Application 1 Claim.

partially filled and having an air space into which the commodity may flow, such as pea- ]5 nut butter, consisting of a finely subdivided solid, lsaturated with and carried in suspension 'by an oil from which it tends to separate by precipitation of the solid, when space is left over the goods, thereby releasing the oil to escape by penetration'of the wall of thepackage, or leaving the oil free to react with air or other oxygen source, to the deterioration of the goods.

Heretofore, in merchandising such commodities, it has been .deemed necessary to use relatively expensive containers of .glass, or tinned sheet metal, in order ..to exclude air and confine the oily constituent; and toresort to special measures to insure against deteriorating influence of oxygen or fermentive spores; experience having taught that whereas wrappers of paper, processed to render it impervious to air and moisture, and folded about a measured quantity of goods, were efficient for packaging butter and the like, especially where refrigeration is available, such paper and the methods followed in applying it, were wholly inadequatefor'preserving peanut butter. The present invention in its broadest aspect proceeds upon the principle of enveloping commodities such as peanut butter, or like viscous materials in a hermetically sealed jacket constructed in whole or in part of impervious paperlike sheet material such as one of the cellulosic preparations, to which the peanut butter readily adheres, having inherent flexibility in a degree that permits it to-conform to and remain in such intimacy of contact with the peanut butter as to at all times prevent air from entering between the peanut butter and its said jacket, especially under contraction incident to reduction in temperature; the volume of peanut butterzbeing in such relation to the dimensions of the jacket that the jacket fits snugly and keepsthe peanut butter under pressure suflicient to prevent formation of oil segregation. spaces within the jacket; and the package thus formed being completely her- 25, 1985, Serial No. 42,088

metic as to air; non-penetrable to peanut oil; retentive of form in handling notwithstanding changes in temperature; and capable of receiving and retaining a neat and proper shelf appearance, as a package, and an appetizing appearance as the goods are opened and exposed to view.

Among the paper-like materials suitable for producing the envelopes, wrappers or outer confines (herein called jackets) for the new peanut butter package, are Cellophane (preferably moisture proof); Pliofllm and similar nitro-cellulosic materials; vegetable parchment, and the like. The jacket may be wrapped and sealed around a measured or molded body of the peanut butter or it may be preformed and have the peanut butter poured or otherwise introduced into it, preferably at a temperature that causes it to flow intimately into contact with the confines of and fill the container which the jacket provides. The jacket if preformed, will be preferably sustained by a suitable mold while being filled.

- Sealing of the jacket, whether at the folds incident to wrapping around a body of goods or at the folds incident to closure of the mouth of a preformed envelope, may be by means of glue, fusing together of the material of the jacket, application of a solvent of the jacket material to render it adhesive, etc.

The jacket will be completely filled to exclude all air, which condition is favored by the adhesion naturally incident to contacting of the jacketing material by the goods, and which ad hesive condition prevails to a degree that prevents formation of air pockets when the goods contract under drop in temperature. The oil saturated solid constituent of goods adhers to the jacket and maintains a vacuum, under contraction, that results in dissipation of pockets for contaminating air, by normal external atmospheric pressure exerted upon the highly flexible jacket material.

It is intended that the rather delicate, highly flexible impervious and hermetic jacket of each unit of goods be protected by a more substantial carton-like reinforcing container of such gage and structure of sheet material as to be self-sustaining and resist crushing of the jacketed unit when a quantity of such units are packed together for shipment, stacked for exposure for sale, or manipulated from producer to consumer. But this reinforcing container will be such as not to interfere with the intended functioning of the highly flexible adhering, impervious and hermetic jacket.-

From the foregoing it will be seen that the 35 ing pockets inwhichoil' could'separate.

present invention contemplates a cheap, and practical preservative package of peanut butter or like oil saturated solid, said package functioning upon the principle of hermetically checking is the inward fiow of contaminating air or moisture or the outward transfer by absorption or otherwise of the oily saturant of the goods; such exclusion bythe highly impenetrable character of the enveloping jacket being materially favored by the high flexibility of the Jacket that enables it to yield under external atmospheric pressure and prevent vacuum thin it, when thermo-contraction-of the go takes place; and non-segregation of the solid constituent from the saturating oil'and consequent non-escape of this fluid constituent under pressure of thermo-expansion, being also favored by ready yielding 0! fllclacket; also by the adhesion of the goods p the jacket and prevention of separation spaces at time of thermo-contraction. x It-is not necessary that flexible portionsof the impervious material be employed for all confines pf the envelope in immediate contact with or adherence to the areaof the enmoped mass.

On the contrary, the envelope may include in its structure, form-imparting stiffening members of cardboard orother material to constitute certain of the confines of the envelope, while leaving flexible and unrestrained otherwise-than by marginally imposed tension certain other confines 40 each instance being preferably enveloped within the jacket and such folds or seams as may be requiredto hermetically conform the impervious sheet material to the stifiening material and close the jacket being formed over the stiffened confines. Finally the entire hermetic package may be introduced into any desired carton or protective covering for shipment.

In the accompanying drawing in which several embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration,

Fig. 1 is a view of the cartoned package with the cover of the carton in open position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hermetic package complete, minus the outer protecting carton,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the hermetic package minus the protecting carton but including the tray formed of stiffened material in the envelope structure; the thickness of the flexible impervious material being somewhat exaggerated in showing the sealing folds, Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the package shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing the package with stifiening members conforming to lateral confinesof the package and with the flexibleimpervious material in direct adherence to both the top and bottom of the package, and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the form shown 0 in Fig. 5, encased in the outer protecting carton of Fi 1. Y

A represents the outer carton which may be of conventional form and has no defining relation to the present invention. Brepresents the 75 hermetically sealed enveloped package of the present invention which consists essentially of the mass of the packaged goods enveloped in the thin paper-like flexible and impervious sheet material hereinbefore described, which may be wrapped about a rectangular or other molded velope. adhesion by fusion of the material, or

' other means that may be appropriate to the adhesion, by solution of the material of the enchemical constituency or physical properties of the envelope. The package shown in Fig. 2 may consist" merely of the commodity and the thin flexible impervious envelope minus stiffening means and 1 in contact with and adherence to the packaged mass throughout the external area thereof; or it may include any disposition of stiifening means incorporated in the envelope exemplified by either of the two stifiening means herein shown, so long as sufiicient area of the flexible impervious material is in direct contact with and adherence to the mass to cause it tofollow deformation of the mass incident to handling, changes in temperature or other causes and in a manner to prevent the forming of pockets between the confines of the envelope and the mass which mightv induce separation of oil from the material.

According to Figs. 3 and 4, the package may be reinforced by the tray-like stiffening member 3 conforming to the lateral confines 3a and bottom confine 3b ,of the package, but leaving free for intimate contact and adherence, the top wall 4 of the envelope so that in case of contraction of the mass, due to a drop in temperature, which contraction would manifest itself at the open side of the tray, the flexible impervious wall can follow the withdrawal of the surface of the mass andunder external atmospheric pressure maintain its close adherence to the mass.

According to Figs. 5 and 6, the stiffening member may conform merely to lateral confines of the'package as shown at 3a, leaving the bottom 5 as well as the top 4 free to deflect and maintain its adherence to receding surfaces of the mass, in accordance with the present invention.

While the invention has been exemplified in connection with the packaging of peanut butter, it is to-be understood that it is also applicable to the packaging of not only this particular commodity, but cheese and other commodities of a greasy or an oily nature and viscous or other degree of plasticity, rendering it capable of coacting with an impervious flexible and scalable wrapper of the kind described.

I have herein described my new wrapper as being useful in the packaging and merchandising of peanut butter, cheese, etc., because these are commodities that are so difiicult to confine, protect from deterioration, and attractively expose to the purchaser as to particularly emphasize the importance of the invention. But it is to be understood that the package is useful in merchandising any commodity which by reason of greater or less plasticity, viscosity or fluidity inherent in the material as a whole or in an ingredient thereof, presents a problem in the confinement and protection thereof and its attractive presentation to the consumer. Itis also to be understood that the'collar, tray or other open frame like defining and sustaining member with the envelope sheet spread across the opening or openings thereof 7 and folded and sealed into hermetic envelopment of the goods, is applicable to the confinement, preservation and merchantable presentation of goods which are deformable or fluid by reason of granular or other sub-divided physical form as well as goods that are fluid by reason of viscous or liquid condition.

I claim:

A preservative peanut butter package, comprising a body of peanut butter having solid and fluid ingredients and a container filled by said body and having between the inner surfaces of its conflnes and said body, adhesive afllnity which resists separation of the body from said surfaces under 15 changes in dimensions of the body; said container having incorporated in at least its lateral conflnes a frame defining the perimeter of the package and the thickness thereof perpendicularly to the plane of said perimeter; and at least one confine of the said container consisting of thin, high- 1y pliant, impervious and inert sheet material supported by said frame with suflicient fullness to enable it to bulge inwardly and outwardly under thermal changes in bulk dimensions of the contained body adhering thereto and thereby preventing the development of spaces for the disengagement of the fluid constituent of the body and the accumulation of air.

1 JOSEPH L. 

